CHAPTER 5

Ruby was silent in Victor's car. She bit her lip several times, imagining what would happen to her life in the next nine months. Let's just say that she would spend this year in hell with Victor Antony as her demon.

The world was too small. Ruby should have left Boston, maybe her life would have been different at the age of 26. As Victor ran out of the pharmacy, Ruby returned to her sitting position, playing with her cell phone.

"Take it," Victor said, handing her some vitamins and a test pack.

"What for?" replied Ruby, staring at the plastic bag on her thigh. She had no intention of touching it, even though she could see what was inside.

"What a stupid question. Of course, it's for you in the future," Victor replied curtly.

Victor started the car's engine and left the dispensary. He focused only on the road without turning around. Victor already knew the expression of Ruby, who was sitting beside him.

"Starting in the future. I don't want to see you eating junk food, drinking alcoholic beverages, or smoking!" Victor continued to speak along the way to the convenience store.

"Umhh," Ruby muttered.

"Is that your only response?" added Victor, glancing at Ruby.

"How should I react? Should I dance around like a crazy person?" said Ruby, who was annoyed with Victor's demanding attitude.

"Get used to answering. Like yes, okay, whatever, respond politely." Victor pressed the gas and increased the speed of the car he was driving.

"Alright, donor," Ruby continued calmly. Even though the speed of the car Victor was driving seemed like it would cause her to die soon,

"Good! I want you to have a healthy baby, not a malnourished one," Victor said, lightly and sarcastically, to Ruby.

"Of course, I won't let that happen. The baby I'm carrying will make me a lot of money," Ruby muttered with a smirk as her eyes and Victor met for a few seconds.

"Materialism," Victor said, stopping the car in the convenience store parking lot.

"I live for money, everything can be bought with money," Ruby quipped.

"A golden opportunity for you, isn't it?" Victor whispered, bringing Ruby's suddenly stiff body closer. 

Click.

Victor just helped unfasten Ruby's seatbelt. He moved her body away and got out of the car first. Victor straightened his suit, waiting for Ruby to get down, but all he saw was Ruby still in her silent position.

"Get down!" Victor said, knocking on the glass of the car door.

Ruby got out of the car. Following Victor's footsteps in front of her, Ruby's hand shot up, eager to hit Victor's skull. The action was seen in the reflection of the refrigerator glass, making Victor turn to her, who hurriedly grabbed whatever objects were on the shelf.

"What do you want to do?"

"Doing what? I just want to take this," Ruby said, showing the instant noodles in her hand.

"No! No, I don't allow you to eat junk food like this," Victor continued, taking the instant noodles from Ruby's hand and putting them back on the shelf. 

"Hygienic stomach," Ruby quipped, walking past Victor.

"Shop whatever you want. But not the food I forbid!" said Victor, pushing the trolley towards Ruby. Trolley towards Ruby.

"Are you sure what you're saying? I'm afraid you'll regret it," Ruby repeated with one eyebrow raised.

"Do you think I'm poor? A billionaire like me can afford to buy you the contents of this place," Victor retorted arrogantly.

"Just buy it then. No need to spend my energy picking and choosing," Ruby continued, pushing the trolley back towards Victor.

"Remember your limits, Ruby," Victor said.

"Okay."

Ruby pushed the trolley away from Victor. She walked quickly to the fruit rack, and Ruby's hand quickly dropped all the fruits on the rack. No matter the price, all Ruby could think about was taking as much as she could to fill the first trolley. This continued with other healthy items, the fifth trolley closed Ruby's shopping today.

"I'm done shopping. Please pay," Ruby said, extending her hand towards Victor. Victor took out his black card and gave it to Ruby.

After paying for all the groceries, Ruby wanted to return Victor's black card. But the man had already disappeared, and Ruby's cell phone rang with an incoming message notification.

'Take a taxi home. Leave all the groceries, I asked them to take you to the apartment.'

"Damn it!" cursed Ruby, annoyed after reading Victor's message.

"Does he think he can manage me that easily?" monologued Ruby, who chuckled.

Ruby pulled away, stopping the taxi in front of her. She didn't want to go straight back, but Ruby was going to try something new that she had never done in her life. Go to a bar! ****Ruby continued to dance relentlessly. Her head moved to the loud music, dancing with a woman who pulled her hand for the first time. The cheers at the bar energized Ruby even more, as she climbed onto a table and shook her hair repeatedly.

"What a rebel!" 

Ruby gasped, her hand was pulled, and her body felt like it was floating. Her head was getting dizzy, and her eyes tried to focus, but instead, she saw the street upside down.

"Why does everything look upside down?" Ruby said she was half drunk.

Victor lowered Ruby's body when she was outside the bar. His hands held Ruby's shoulders to keep her balanced, her flushed face looking like a fool in Victor's eyes.

"Bitch!" cried Victor.

"Are you swearing at me?" Ruby raised her head and saw the faint outline of someone's face in front of her.

"Yes! Why are you always so troublesome?" Victor said, looking into Ruby's eyes.

"Ummh. I don't know!" Ruby replied, still semi-conscious.

"Let me take you home," Victor said.

Ruby tugged on Victor's wrist. She lowered her head before lifting it back up to stare into Victor's eyes.

"You're much creepier. A monster," Ruby muttered. 

"What bad luck that I had to be adopted by your family. I should have stayed in the orphanage, being one of the kids there wouldn't have been so bad." Ruby said with a laugh.

"I thought you were nice. In the eyes of a 7-year-old child who saw you for the first time. With a happy feeling, my adoptive parents told me they had a boy who would protect me," Ruby continued, turning her face away.

"Rubyjane," Victor called.

"No, I'm not. I just feel cheated," Ruby muttered.

****